


grow as we go

by Dottymathers



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Anxiety, Anxiety Disorder, Blushing, Confident Phil lester, Flirting, Fluff, Height Differences, Hotels, M/M, Original Character(s), Pastel Dan Howell, Short Dan Howell, Shy Dan Howell, Shyness, dan is adorable but anxious, phil is confident and flirty, they work in a hotel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-08
Updated: 2019-08-08
Packaged: 2020-08-13 00:51:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20165428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dottymathers/pseuds/Dottymathers
Summary: Dan is housekeeper at a hotel; an expert at making beds and being riddled with anxiety all with a pink bow clipped in his hair.Phil is the confident receptionist that visits Dan more than the other housekeepers and leaves him a blushing mess.title is from the song Grow As We Go by Ben Platt :)





	grow as we go

**Author's Note:**

> hello there !  
this is my first phanfic on ao3 because oh yeah... i was a wattpad gal ;)  
anyway, sorry, i hope you enjoy this ? If anyone actually likes it i'll keep writing :)

Dan’s breathing was fast and deep, as the sweat glistened on his forehead and his arms shook faster, using all his power to finally let go and breathe a content sigh of relief.

The duvet was finally on the bed.

Dan Howell was a housekeeper. He’d be in the hotel for 9am sharp and get to work knocking doors with an almost comedically fake, “housekeeping!”, then set off his quiet but hefty job of stripping beds, making beds, cleaning bathrooms and neatly arranging selections of instant coffee and tea.

Honestly, he didn’t mind it as much as others; every other housekeeper was nice to him and would offer him a small smile and an off-hand comment about the mess someone had left a room him because they knew he was never up for a conversation, saying barely a few words outside his practiced mantra of, “hello, I was just wondering if you would like any fresh towels or tea and coffee today?”

Guests would take pity on him and politely shake their heads or merely ask for another sachet of coffee as Dan Howell was not by any means a typical representation of a housekeeper. No, for Dan was a mere 5ft tall, with flushed cheeks, one dimple, and a pink bow clipped to his fringe to move the bundle of curls from his eyes as he leant over baths and stood on his tip toes to clean the shower rails.

But despite the trolleys being taller than him and the linen being too high on the shelves, Dan was happy where he was and found small enjoyment of having several rooms of quiet with no need to make conversation or interact with others and just calmly clean his rooms whilst the radio or Friends played on the TV in the background.

This brings him to Phil Lester.

Phil Lester was the hotel’s receptionist and he was the polar opposite to Dan.

Standing over 6ft, Phil was confident, straight haired, and more charming than the prince of the name. Every guest would melt under Phil’s calm voice and flashy smiles, as he offered to carry bags to cars, and hold open doors to empty handed strangers. He was the image of perfection and a model citizen and Dan couldn’t help but secretly mourn over his lack of communication and confidence compared to Phil.

What’s more was that Phil was nice to Dan. Often checking up on him and giving him a hand where he needed it, whether it is knocking on a door for him or turning a mattress, Phil was sweet, helpful, and Dan was putty under his presence.

So Dan had finally got the duvet, which did not look like it weighed as much as it did, onto the bed and was folding and tucking in the sheets when he felt a looming presence at his door; Swiftly, he turned to make sure it wasn’t a troubled guest and instead found a smiling Phil, the unexpected arrival sending him jumping up in surprise.

“Woah, sorry didn’t mean to make you jump”, Phil flashed a smile Dan’s way and he could feel his cheek heat up, “just wanted to see your list, love”.

Another thing about Phil was his ease of use of nicknames that if they were to be used by anyone else, he’d cringe and pull a face, but of course Phil Lester would call everyone variations of sickly sweet names that rolled of his tongue because it was natural to him.

Dan lowered his eyes and softy stepped to the bathroom to retrieve his list of the many rooms he’d been assigned that day, hardly any lit with Phil’s neon pink highlighter which would signify the guests had left, and gently held it out to Phil who took it with ease.

“What’s up with you today then?” Phil asked, and his ran his highlighter over several numbers making Dan inwardly smile at the relief more people had left.

“Nothing, just tired” Dan quietly spoke, giving Phil a small smile and a shrug as he took back the piece of paper he was holding out to Dan.

“We need to see to you getting some more sleep” Phil mused, placing a hand on top of Dan’s hair, ruffling the already messy curls, “so, what did you do last night? Come on, tell me all”

Dan travelled his way into the bathroom as he shrugged, “Well, I sat in bed watching Netflix and then read till I fell asleep”, softly laughing to himself at his own introverted traits. He began to clean the bath, rubbing a red cloth over the taps until the chrome was practically a mirror, hearing Phil walk up behind him and lean against the doorframe.

“Wow Dan, you truly are living life to the max, though I feel we could definitely still get you out there” a sarcastic tone leaking out of his voice, and Dan felt himself smile, a stupid icky smile.

“Out there is really not for me, no thank you, reading for hours is fun but that’s where my fun meter reaches maximum potential” holding a hand up to his head to signify the scale, however Phil only walking up to Dan and looked down at his hand raising an eyebrow.

“So, not that much fun then?” the small joke making the other direct a fake scowl to the man towering over him, and then promptly turn around the continue polishing the shower, although only reaching up to a certain point before stretching became painful and his arm felt it had been drained of feeling. Silently, Phil placed his hand over Dan’s and he felt his heart rate sky rocket into dangerous beats but he only stole the cloth out of Dan’s hand and finished the remainder of the shower.

As Dan turned around he was body to body with Phil and his cheeky flushed a pink similar to the bow in his hair as he looked up and smiled a quiet “thank you”.

They say that Dan is shy. He had never been one to talk a great deal and would leave a conversation heavily one sided, a stained blush on his cheeks as he tried to offer clear responses to questions he could not comprehend because there was a constant pounding of his heart. They said he’d always grow out of it, eventually fully blossoming into the flower similar to that he wore around his head.

They were wrong.

Dan only got more reclusive and withdrawn, avoiding phone calls and checkout tills because his chest would constrict and his hands would shake and tears would prick at his eyelids. With friends he would laugh loudly, talk excessively and sing stupid songs but even they would end up offering to speak his food order or ask for help.

Dan wasn’t just shy.

He had anxiety.

This is why everyone was shocked when Dan had called up his family and told them that he had gotten a job as a housekeeper. With a little help from his friend Liz, Dan was able to get a job, learn the routine, and have the support of his best friend when he needed help or to just laugh about the wreckage of the rooms he’d just cleaned.

To Dan, Liz was the epitome of everything he wanted to be. Although only inches taller than him, she had soft brown hair that could sit at her stomach and ran past her perfect face and perfect green eyes; but the part that had sat Dan with a clenching in his chest was her ability to talk to anyone and everyone. Conversation to Liz was second nature, as she could ask the right questions at the perfect moments and leave a string of words neatly tied together in a precise bow to those she flashed a kind smile to.

And Dan could only hide in her shadow, but although slightly envious, he was thankful for her and the connection they had formed over the years.

As from the skies, Dan Howell was shy, anxious, quiet, and riddled with panic; but when underground trapped with Liz in a dungeon of each other’s company, Dan became louder and more weird, his laughter mixing with Liz’s in a bubble of safety and happiness that promised to hold them tight forever.

This bubble would sometimes blow up around them in work too.

“You know, I’ve seen you with Liz and you’re never this quiet with her” Phil mused to himself despite being inches away from Dan. “I hope it’s not me that makes you nervous” He flicked his eyes down to Dan and a smile spread across his face that said nothing more other than_ “I am enjoying this too much”_

Beetroot splashed on Dan’s cheeks and leaked to his neck and he managed to stay composed and offer an unconvincing shrug of his shoulders, “No, just people in general” he spoke quietly but broke out into a small smile, a self-knowing one that accompanied Dan’s silent mantra in his head that whispered around his head and heart;

_“You do make me nervous, and I hate that I love it”_

**Author's Note:**

> hello again   
was it okay ?  
i'm nervous asdfgjkl  
also, if you didn't realise, i'm a housekeeper so if you wanna apply for a job you've just read how it all works lol  
mayormaynotbebasedofflifeshhhh
> 
> ANYWAY ! please leave a comment and kudos, i miss writing and i want people to enjoy this :D  
sending you my love <3


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